Braves recall Nacho Alvarez Jr., sign veteran Whit Merrifield following Albies’ wrist injury

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves made two moves to replace injured second baseman Ozzie Albies on Monday, recalling infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. from Triple-A Gwinnett and signing veteran Whit Merrifield.

Only minutes into his first workout, Merrifield quickly joined Atlanta’s imposing injury list. Merrifield, 35, took a ball off his finger while taking infield practice. X-rays were negative and he is listed as day to day.

“You can’t make it up,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker.

The Braves said after Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that Albies is expected to miss about eight weeks with a fractured left wrist. Albies was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. The team hopes Albies avoids surgery.

“They casted him up and it’s clean,” Snitker said.

The Braves optioned outfielder Eli White to Triple-A Gwinnett following Sunday’s game. To make room on the 40-man roster for Merrifield, outfielder Forrest Wall was designated for assignment.

Philadelphia released Merrifield on July 12. Merrifield served as a utility player with the Phillies, but his experience at second base is especially important as the Braves look to replace Albies for at least most of the remainder of the regular season.

Even before Merrifield’s mishap during infield drills, the Braves had Alvarez starting at second base and hitting second.

“Put him in amongst the guy,” Snitker said. “His swing has been hot, so why not?”

Alvarez, 21, hit .336 with seven homers in 28 games following his promotion to Gwinnett on June 12. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022.

“Pretty much two years after I got drafted, I’m here now,” Alvarez said, adding he reacted to the news of his promotion to the majors with “probably 10 minutes of straight crying” in a phone call with his parents.

Alvarez, a native of Fontana, California, said the only negative was his parents had an early Monday flight to Atlanta cancelled and were having difficulty finding another flight to watch his major league debut.

Alvarez played shortstop in the minors but said he played second base for three years in high school and did not expect to have difficulty making the transition.

“At the end of the day, it’s just baseball,” Alvarez said.

Merrifield, 35, hit .199 in 53 games for the Phillies, making 20 starts in left field, 12 at second base and eight at third base.

The Braves will pay Merrifield $278,495, a prorated share of the $740,000 major league minimum. The Phillies are responsible for the remainder of his $7 million salary plus a $1 million buyout of his 2025 option.

Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia made 43 starts at second base for Atlanta in 2021. The Braves value Arcia’s defense at shortstop, so their focus was on finding other ways to replace Albies. Merrifield could be viewed as insurance if Alvarez struggles with the transition.

Albies was injured trying to catch a throw when Michael Siani stole second in the ninth inning on Sunday. Siani slid into Albies as the infielder reached for the ball, bending back his glove hand at an awkward angle.

Zack Short replaced Albies in Sunday’s game.

Albies is the third Atlanta position starter to be lost for a significant period of time with an injury. Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with a season-ending knee injury in May. Center fielder Michael Harris II, who replaced Acuna as the leadoff hitter, was placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring injury on June 14 and has not yet been cleared for a rehab assignment.

Earlier Sunday, All-Star left-hander Max Fried landed on the 15-day injured list with forearm neuritis, a nerve inflammation, in a move retroactive to Thursday. Ace right-hander Spencer Strider had season-ending Tommy John surgery in April.

“It’s been very challenging,” Snitker said of the injuries for the Braves, who are second in the NL East after winning the division the last six years. “This year has been something else. … It’s never easy. You have to battle through adversity a lot.”

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